Profiles

Debbie Cottrell has served as president of Texas Lutheran University since 2019, after serving as the university’s vice president for academic affairs for seven years. Cottrell has overseen both programmatic growth and geographical expansion, with a consistent focus on diversity, student experience, financial stability, and community partnerships. Her previous roles include positions in academic affairs […]

Marjorie Hass became president of the Council of Independent Colleges in 2021. From 2017 until her appointment to the CIC presidency, Hass served as president of Rhodes College. Previously, Hass served for eight years as president of Austin College. Earlier, she spent more than 16 years as a member of the philosophy faculty and subsequently […]

Marilyn Sutton-Haywood serves as project director for the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) Faculty-Student STEM Mentoring Program. Prior to that, she served as faculty member and vice president for academic affairs at Shaw University (NC), Bethune-Cookman University (FL), and Johnson C. Smith University (NC). She also held positions as dean of arts and […]

Janet Clark is provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (IN). During her 12-year tenure in this role, she has been instrumental in the college’s transition to a fully coeducational institution and in the development and implementation of both a new nursing program and the institution’s first doctoral program. […]

Tarshia Stanley began her appointment as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Wagner College (NY) in June 2022. Stanley came to Wagner after serving as dean of the school of humanities, arts, and sciences at St. Catherine University (MN) for four years. Her work at St. Catherine centered around embedding career readiness into […]

Catharine E. O’Connell has served as provost at Illinois College since 2016. She previously served as chief academic officer at two other institutions: Mary Baldwin College (now University) (VA) and Defiance College (OH). Prior to those roles, she held the positions of dean for academic affairs at Cabrini College (now closed) (PA) and faculty member […]

John D. Kolander, provost of Wisconsin Lutheran College, has served as the college’s chief academic officer since 2004. Previously, he was a teacher and administrator for Lutheran elementary and high schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Kolander’s research interests include campus and organization culture, curriculum development, and leadership development. He is a frequent presenter at CIC’s […]

Emilee Jane O’Dell joined the CIC staff as projects coordinator in 2021 and was promoted to program manager for presidential engagement. In this role, she provides support for the annual Presidents Institute, Presidential Renewal Program, and a variety of other programs in this general area. O’Dell graduated from Roanoke College in 2021 with a major […]

Sherita C. Ashmon joined CIC in 2010 and is the director of State Council programs and networks support. She serves as the primary CIC liaison to State Council members and provides leadership and support to the core services offered by the State Council program. Before joining CIC, Sherita served as membership coordinator for the Community […]

Christopher Dodds joined CIC in 2010 and serves as senior director of digital communications and strategy. He joined CIC through the merger with the Foundation for Independent Higher Education. His responsibilities include CIC’s website, listservs, email communications, and IT infrastructure and support. Dodds previously held research positions for several policy and research organizations. Dodds studied […]